I absolutely 100% agree with so much do this friend. As an outsider looking in, I adore you and often get a twinge of jealousy at your amazing mothering skills. You set the bar. So glad we have this platform to stay in touch.
Yes and yes. I decided to back way off of social media when I heard stories of people stealing pictures and stories of special needs kids for scams. I did not want my family to be used like that. Also, although it was well-intentioned, it felt weird when people I knew would share my posts with large groups of people I didn’t know. That was not my purpose in posting and I felt like it put us at risk to be used to some else’s advantage.
Another thing, it began to feel like I’d narrate my day in potential posting language. I also started to feel pressure to share links from every product I ever bought so I could get a little perk when someone else bought it too. Was I just using my friends and acquaintances for freebies?
But, finally, a few years later when I was about to have my second child I stopped checking my social media accounts altogether so I could revel in this new baby and to read while I nursed instead of scrolled social media.
I have been so encouraged by writers like you that I have found in this platform where we can go a little slower. Where the content is deeper and more thoughtful and less frequent. It seems like a special treat when something is published. I don’t feel overwhelmed like I am missing out.
May God bless you as you seek to prioritize Him and pouring out for your family (and being filled to pour out again to the most important people in your life.) That is the best and most rewarding work.
We had talked back and forth on Instagram when you were still on. I really appreciated your posts and you helped me through some very dark days of Autism. You always pointed back to Jesus, I am so thankful to have found you. I know you got some nasty heat from keyboard bullies on IG and they attack the people who are trying the hardest with God's help to be amazing people and parents. I can't tell you thank you enough for your writing and for sharing your heart.
This is so refreshing. I’m new here. I gave up social media several years ago but am always faced with perplexed faces when I share that I don’t have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (x or whatever it is now) or Snapchat account. I love how you articulate your why, I gave it up for similar reasons that I felt good about at first. Now, I often feel I come off as obscure and out of touch. I’m trying to embrace being these things while at the same time wanting to prove that I’m not, so it can be a double bind. When I start to feel that creep in, it helps me to know that my soul needs extra tending to…. Here’s to the slow work of God and life that revels in our presence with other souls who need it too.
I loved when everyone just had blogs with posts and I would follow those people on my own. This whole thing with social media feeding me what they desire and not me choosing by myself, for me, is the worst. I am still trying to somehow find a way to get around that and still follow people I really want to hear thoughts from <3
One of our popular autism moms just shared that she is giving Instagram until the end of April and then she is going to consider letting it go. She has a 18k following. She works like a dog. Heather, you cranked out epic content, but if it is at the expense of your family and your mental health, cut it loose with no regrets. (I think that you have.) This is what I shared with that autism mom, as well. I have NOTHING like the following or the responses that you had. Maybe it is because I can't and won't bend to the demands. I am so happy to have connected with the people that I have, but if it was a DISTRACTION to me in any way, then I would have to cut it loose. And will. There are PRIORITY demands at home that cannot compare to stinkin' social media. I salute you and your decision. Also, I still love to read you. Keep. Writing.
I have definitely considered leaving social media because I absolutely do not like what the scrolling does to me. However, there are a couple IG accounts that genuinely inspire me and I look forward to, and that has kept me from making a full break with it. FB has its practical uses for me, and I don’t find it nearly as much of a temptation to get lost on that platform. But as a health coach and an aspiring writer, I definitely relate to the endless demands of content creation…and I have never come even close to meeting said demands. I’m realizing more and more that side of it is a game I don’t want to play, and that I think I can give up fairly easily to focus on more fruitful ways to promote my work.
I finally left Instagram in July 2023 after 12 years of online writing and social media connection. Jumping into Substack has been such a gift. The gals at the Writing Off Social podcast were a great influence in doing so. ((I wrote about it here https://jodycollins.substack.com/p/my-long-goodbye-to-instagram))
We are wired for actual connection, not algorithm-driven "reality."
I absolutely 100% agree with so much do this friend. As an outsider looking in, I adore you and often get a twinge of jealousy at your amazing mothering skills. You set the bar. So glad we have this platform to stay in touch.
Yes and yes. I decided to back way off of social media when I heard stories of people stealing pictures and stories of special needs kids for scams. I did not want my family to be used like that. Also, although it was well-intentioned, it felt weird when people I knew would share my posts with large groups of people I didn’t know. That was not my purpose in posting and I felt like it put us at risk to be used to some else’s advantage.
Another thing, it began to feel like I’d narrate my day in potential posting language. I also started to feel pressure to share links from every product I ever bought so I could get a little perk when someone else bought it too. Was I just using my friends and acquaintances for freebies?
But, finally, a few years later when I was about to have my second child I stopped checking my social media accounts altogether so I could revel in this new baby and to read while I nursed instead of scrolled social media.
I have been so encouraged by writers like you that I have found in this platform where we can go a little slower. Where the content is deeper and more thoughtful and less frequent. It seems like a special treat when something is published. I don’t feel overwhelmed like I am missing out.
May God bless you as you seek to prioritize Him and pouring out for your family (and being filled to pour out again to the most important people in your life.) That is the best and most rewarding work.
Hey Heather,
We had talked back and forth on Instagram when you were still on. I really appreciated your posts and you helped me through some very dark days of Autism. You always pointed back to Jesus, I am so thankful to have found you. I know you got some nasty heat from keyboard bullies on IG and they attack the people who are trying the hardest with God's help to be amazing people and parents. I can't tell you thank you enough for your writing and for sharing your heart.
This is so refreshing. I’m new here. I gave up social media several years ago but am always faced with perplexed faces when I share that I don’t have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (x or whatever it is now) or Snapchat account. I love how you articulate your why, I gave it up for similar reasons that I felt good about at first. Now, I often feel I come off as obscure and out of touch. I’m trying to embrace being these things while at the same time wanting to prove that I’m not, so it can be a double bind. When I start to feel that creep in, it helps me to know that my soul needs extra tending to…. Here’s to the slow work of God and life that revels in our presence with other souls who need it too.
I loved when everyone just had blogs with posts and I would follow those people on my own. This whole thing with social media feeding me what they desire and not me choosing by myself, for me, is the worst. I am still trying to somehow find a way to get around that and still follow people I really want to hear thoughts from <3
One of our popular autism moms just shared that she is giving Instagram until the end of April and then she is going to consider letting it go. She has a 18k following. She works like a dog. Heather, you cranked out epic content, but if it is at the expense of your family and your mental health, cut it loose with no regrets. (I think that you have.) This is what I shared with that autism mom, as well. I have NOTHING like the following or the responses that you had. Maybe it is because I can't and won't bend to the demands. I am so happy to have connected with the people that I have, but if it was a DISTRACTION to me in any way, then I would have to cut it loose. And will. There are PRIORITY demands at home that cannot compare to stinkin' social media. I salute you and your decision. Also, I still love to read you. Keep. Writing.
Thanks for sharing! I agree with you on so many of these points.
I have definitely considered leaving social media because I absolutely do not like what the scrolling does to me. However, there are a couple IG accounts that genuinely inspire me and I look forward to, and that has kept me from making a full break with it. FB has its practical uses for me, and I don’t find it nearly as much of a temptation to get lost on that platform. But as a health coach and an aspiring writer, I definitely relate to the endless demands of content creation…and I have never come even close to meeting said demands. I’m realizing more and more that side of it is a game I don’t want to play, and that I think I can give up fairly easily to focus on more fruitful ways to promote my work.
Thank you, Heather. Amen and Amen!
I finally left Instagram in July 2023 after 12 years of online writing and social media connection. Jumping into Substack has been such a gift. The gals at the Writing Off Social podcast were a great influence in doing so. ((I wrote about it here https://jodycollins.substack.com/p/my-long-goodbye-to-instagram))
We are wired for actual connection, not algorithm-driven "reality."